Litfiba
El Diablo

THE REVIEW

When does the decline of a band begin?

Perhaps when the members start to leave, perhaps when the ideas begin to fade, perhaps when they veer towards a more commercial sound, or perhaps when they feel like making money by putting their brains in the attic.

Alright, for Litfiba the first signs were already noticeable in "3" and "Pirata" is certainly not a masterpiece, but it is with "El Diablo" that our Florentines begin a true descent that will see them plunging into the abyss (artistically, not economically). The album in question represents a true treatise that could be titled "The Ruin of a Band" because it encapsulates all the aforementioned reasons that lead it to be the betrayal of all the good they had done in the '80s.

Gianni Maroccolo (the only true musical genius of the group) and Ringo de Palma (who died before the album's release) leave, replaced by mediocre musicians (although the drummer Daniele Trambusti is not bad). Ghigo Renzulli decides to change style: no more dark and enveloping sounds, but speed and useless guitar solos (how happy he was about Maroccolo's departure, who musically overshadowed him significantly), Piero Pelù, except for a few happy episodes, offers a caricature of himself shouting like a fool and little, more so, where both handle the lyrics (with results that make you shudder), Aiazzi remains on the keyboards but it's as if he's not there.

Analyzing the album itself, the Title Track opens the show; for many a masterpiece, for me a mess: banal lyrics, grotesque singing, and music that adjusts as best as it can to the absence of a great bassist. "Proibito" is the second track, the level rises due to the good irony of the lyrics but nothing compared to irony like that of "Tango" (17 re) for instance.
"Il Volo" is the only great piece of the album, dedicated to the late De Palma, it moves between delicacy and heartfelt lyrics (how to know to love, only you know, you could have had the world, but you left it), but it is just an isolated case. In fact, now the oblivion begins: "Siamo Umani", "Woda Woda" and then the three final pearls of "Ragazzo", "Gioconda", and "Resisti", the comment on these?: "Speechless".

Actually no, a quote from "Ragazzo" will suffice (I would like to know why it's not a crime to prostitute the state and abuse every power): chilling.